Blocked device checking in roaming scenarios

ABSTRACT

In certain cellular communication systems, a roaming communication device may attempt to establish a connection with a visited wireless communication network. Before allowing the connection, the visited network may check to see whether the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of the device has been listed in an Equipment Identity Register (EIR) as being blocked, and may refuse the connection if the IMEI is listed as being blocked. In addition, when the home network of the device receives a request to authorize usage of the device, the home network may also check its own EIR to determine whether the IMEI has been blocked. If the IMEI has been blocked in the EIR of the home network, the home network indicates to the visited network that the connection should be refused.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation application which claims priority to commonlyassigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/396,051, filedDec. 30, 2016, which claims priority to and the benefit of, U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/402,540, filed Sep. 30, 2016and entitled “IMEI CHECK IN ROAMING SCENARIOS”. Application Ser. No.15/396,051 and 62/402,540 are fully incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Mobile communication devices are typically identified by uniqueidentifiers known as IMEIs (International Mobile Equipment Identifiers).An IMEI is a 15-digit number that uniquely identifies a correspondingdevice when the device is used on a GSM (Global System for MobileCommunications) cellular communication network. Device manufacturerscooperate to ensure that no two devices have the same IMEI.

Each cellular communication operator maintains a database listing theIMEIs of devices that have been authorized for use on the communicationnetwork of the carrier. This database, known as an EIR (EquipmentIdentity Register), also indicates the IMEIs of any devices that shouldnot be allowed to access the communication network. For example, IMEIscorresponding to devices that have been reported lost or stolen aremarked as being blocked, and the devices are prevented from operating onthe communication network. This discourages device theft, because stolendevices are unable to register for and obtain the services of thecommunication network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical components or features.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a home network and a visited networkof a wireless communications system, and also showing communicationpaths that may be used in one embodiment for Equipment Identity Register(EIR) checking.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the home network and the visitednetwork, and also showing communication paths that may be used inanother embodiment for EIR checking.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of performingEIR checking by a home communication network in a roaming scenario.

FIG. 4 is a communication sequence diagram illustrating an examplecommunication sequence for performing EIR checking by a homecommunication network in a roaming scenario.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating another example method ofperforming EIR checking by a home communication network in a roamingscenario.

FIG. 6 is a communication sequence diagram illustrating another examplecommunication sequence for performing EIR checking by a homecommunication network in a roaming scenario.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating another example method ofperforming EIR checking by a home communication network in a roamingscenario.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example computing device that may beconfigured to implement various functionality of a wirelesscommunications network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are interfaces, techniques, and systems that may beused by operators of wireless telecommunication networks to blocknetwork access from devices having blocked IMEIs, particularly inroaming scenarios in which the devices are attempting to connect tovisited networks.

A network user, referred to as a subscriber, is typically subscribed tothe services of a particular wireless telecommunication network, whichis referred to as the home network of that subscriber. When travellingoutside the geographical coverage area of the home network, thesubscriber may access communication services using other wirelesstelecommunication networks, which are referred to as visited networkswith respect to the subscriber.

A subscriber is identified to a network by a subscriber identifier. Thesubscriber identifier typically comprises an IMSI (International MobileSubscriber Identity), which is often stored on a SIM (SubscriberIdentity Module) inserted into a communication device owned by thesubscriber. When the device attempts to access a network, the deviceprovides the IMSI so that the network can identify the services to whichthe user has subscribed.

Each device has a uniquely associated device identifier, which typicallycomprises what is known as an IMEI (International Mobile EquipmentIdentifier). An IMEI is a 15-digit number that uniquely identifies acorresponding device when the device is used on a Global System forMobile Communications (GSM) communication network. A device provides theIMEI when attempting to access a GSM communication network.

When a device is roaming and requests connection to a visited network,the visited network communicates with the home network to determinewhether the subscriber identified by the IMSI of the device isauthorized by the home network, and if so, the qualities of servicesthat the subscriber is authorized to access.

In certain situations, both the visited network and the home network maymaintain respective EIRs. The EIR of a particular network is a databaseof IMEIs, in which certain IMEIs are indicated as being blocked. BlockedIMEIs correspond to devices that are to be denied non-emergency accessto the network. When a communication device attempts to connect to aparticular network, the network first checks its EIR. If the IMEI of thedevice is marked as blocked in the EIR, the communication device is notallowed to connect (except for emergency calls).

When a device is roaming and requests connection to a visited network,the visited network checks its EIR, referred to herein as the visitedEIR, to determine whether the visited EIR includes the IMEI of thedevice and whether the IMEI is marked as being blocked. If so, thedevice is prevented from establishing a connection. If the IMEI is notlisted as being blocked, the visited network communicates with the homenetwork of the device subscriber to identify the services to which thesubscriber is subscribed, based on the IMSI provided by the device. Thevisited network provides both the IMSI and the IMEI to the home network.

Upon receiving a request for authorization of a subscriber, identifiedby an IMSI, the home network checks its EIR, referred to as the homeEIR, to determine whether the home EIR includes the IMEI of the deviceand whether the IMEI is marked as being blocked. If so, the home networkindicates to the visited network that network access should not beallowed to the requesting device. If the IMEI is not listed as beingblocked, the home network checks its subscriber databases based on theprovided IMSI to determine the services to which the user has subscribedand the applicable parameters of those services, and provides thisinformation to the visited network so that the requested communicationsession can proceed.

In an LTE (Long-Term Evolution) telecommunication network, theauthorization process described above may be initiated when the mobiledevice sends an attach request to a visited network and provides asubscriber IMSI and device IMEI. An MME (Mobile Management Entity) ofthe visited network receives the attach request and sends a createsession request to a SGW (Serving Gateway) of the visited network. TheSGW forwards the create session request to a PDN GW (Packet Data NetworkGateway) of the device subscriber's home network. Upon receiving thecreate session request, the PDN GW creates sends an authorizationrequest to a PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function) of the homenetwork to authorize network access by the mobile device. Theauthorization request includes the IMSI and the IMEI provided by themobile device.

In response to receiving the authorization request, the PCRF queries theEIR of the home network to determine whether the IMEI of the mobiledevice has been blocked. If the IMEI is indicated as blocked in the EIR,the PCRF rejects the authorization request by returning an authorizationresponse with the result code “IMEI Blocked”. If the IMEI is not shownin the EIR as blocked, the PCRF accesses subscriber databases maintainedby the home network to find subscriber information corresponding to thereceived IMSI and, depending on the nature of the subscriberinformation, returns an authorization response indicating to proceedwith the requested session, and also indicating various parametersregarding services to which the subscriber is subscribed.

The PDN GW and the SGW then respond as appropriate to the MME of thevisited network, indicating either that the requested session should beblocked, or specifying connection parameters for an allowed connection.

In an alternative embodiment, checking of the home EIR may be performedin response to the MIME of the visited network sending an authenticationrequest to an HSS (Home Subscriber Server) of the home network. Inresponse to receiving the authentication request, the HSS queries theEIR of the home network to determine whether the IMEI of the mobiledevice has been blocked. If the IMEI is indicated as blocked in the EIR,the HSS returns an authentication response to the MME indicating thatnetwork access should be denied to the requesting communication device.

FIG. 1 shows an example cellular communication system 100 that includesa home PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) 102 and a visited PLMN 104.Each of the PLMNs 102 and 104 may comprise a cellular communicationsnetwork and infrastructure that is provided and maintained by arespective cellular communications network carrier or operator. In thedescribed embodiments, each PLNM utilizes 4G (Fourth Generation)technology such as defined by the LTE (Long-Term Evolution) standard.Communication networks such as this are based on IP (Internet Protocol),packet-based protocols rather than on the circuit-switched protocols ofprevious generations of communication systems. Certain of the describedtechniques, however, may also be implemented in circuit-switchednetworks.

FIG. 1 shows the components of the home PLMN 102 and visited PLMN 104that are relevant to the current discussion. In practice, each PLMN mayhave many other components and functional elements, in addition to thoseshown. Furthermore, FIG. 1 shows selected components of the home PLMN102 that are most relevant to operation when the home PLMN 102 is in therole of a home network, and selected components of the visited PLMN 104that are most relevant to operation of the system 100 when the visitedPLMN 104 is in the role of a visited network.

In practice, the system 100 may have more than two PLMNs, each of whichmay act as either a home network or a visited network with respect todifferent mobile communication devices.

In the example of FIG. 1, user equipment (UE) 106 is shown as connectingto the visited PLMN 104. The UE 106 may comprise a mobile communicationdevice such as a smartphone, or may comprise any other device havingcellular or other wireless communication capabilities, such as tabletcomputers, wearable devices, controllers, entertainment devices,electronic book readers, and so forth. For purposes of this example andthe examples that follow, it is assumed that the UE 106 is associatedwith a subscriber of the home PLMN 102.

In attempting to establish communications when roaming with thegeographic service area of the visited PLMN 104, the UE 106 communicateswith an MME (Mobile Management Entity) 108 of the visited PLMN 104. TheMME 108 checks with a visited EIR 110 maintained by the visited PLMN 104before allowing the UE 106 to connect to the visited PLMN 104.

If the IMEI of the UE 106 is not blocked in the visited EIR 110, an SGW(Serving Gateway) 112 of the visited PLMN 104 communicates with the homePLNM 102, through a PDN GW (Packet Data Network Gateway) 114, todetermine from the home PLMN 102 whether the subscriber associated withthe UE 106 is authorized for network access and if so, the types andparameters of services to which the subscriber has subscribed.

The PDN GW 114 interacts with a PCRF (Policy Charging Rules Function)116 of the home PLMN 102 to authorize network access by the subscriber.As part of this interaction, the PCRF 116 checks an EIR 118 maintainedby the home PLMN 102 to determine whether the IMEI of the UE 106 hasbeen blocked by the home PLMN 102. If so, this result is returned to thePDN GW 114, which indicates to the visited PLMN 104 that the sessionrequested by the UE 106 should be denied. Otherwise, the PCRF 116accesses other databases within the home PLMN 102 to determine thenature and quality of services to which the subscriber associated withthe UE 106 is entitled, and reports this information back to the visitedMME 108 through the PDN GW 114 and the SGW 112.

FIG. 2 shows the communication system 100, while illustrating analternative technique for checking the IMEI of the UE 106 at the homePLMN 102. In this embodiment, the home EIR check occurs when the MME 108of the visited PLMN 104 sends an authorization request to an HSS 120 ofthe home PLMN 102. Upon receiving the authorization request, the HS S120 checks the home EIR 118 to determine whether the IMEI of the UE 106has been blocked by the home PLMN 102. If so, the HSS 120 reports to theMME 108 that the session requested by the UE 106 should be denied.Otherwise, the HSS 120 accesses other databases within the home PLMN 102to determine the nature and quality of services to which the subscriberassociated with the UE 106 is entitled, and reports this informationback to the visited MME 108.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method 300 that may be performed when theUE 106 attempts to connect to the visited PLMN 104 in situations wherethe UE 106 is roaming and is within the geographical coverage area ofthe visited PLMN 104. Actions on the left of FIG. 3 are performed by oneor more components of the visited PLMN 104. Actions on the right of FIG.3 are performed by one or more components of the home PLMN 102.

An action 302 comprises receiving an initial attach request. In an LTEenvironment, for example, the UE 106 may send an attach request to aneNodeB base station. The eNodeB base station may then forward the attachrequest to the MME 108 of the visited network 104. The attach requestspecifies a subscriber identifier, which as discussed above is the IMSIof the subscriber with which the UE 106 is associated. The attachrequest also specifies the device identifier of the UE 106, which asdiscussed above is the device's IMEI.

An action 304, performed by the MME 108 of the visited network 104,comprises checking the visited EIR 110 to determine whether the IMEI ofthe UE 106 is indicated by the visited EIR 110 as being blocked. If theIMEI is indicated as being blocked, an action 306 is performed ofrefusing the attempt by the UE 106 to establish network access.

If the IMEI is not indicated as being blocked by the visited EIR 110, anaction 308 is performed of sending a connection request 310 to the homePLMN 102, where the request 310 is a request to allow network access bythe UE 106. The connection request 310 specifies the IMSI and the IMEI.

An action 312, performed by the home PLMN 102, comprises receiving theconnection request 310.

In certain embodiments, the connection request 310 may comprise anauthorization request sent from the MME 108 of the visited PLMN 104,which is handled by the PCRF 116 of the home PLMN 102. In otherembodiments, the connection request 310 may comprise an authenticationrequest sent from the MME 108 of the visited PLMN 104, which is handledby the HSS 120 of the home PLMN 102.

In response to receiving the connection request 310, the home PLMN 102performs an action 314 of checking the home EIR 118 to determine whetherthe IMEI of the UE 106 is indicated by the home EIR 118 as beingblocked. An action 316 comprises sending a connection response 318 backto the visited PLMN 104. If the IMEI is indicated as being blocked asdetermined in the action 314, the connection response 318 indicates thatnetwork access should be denied to the UE 106. Otherwise, if the IMEI isnot indicated as being blocked by the home EIR 118, the connectionresponse 318 indicates that the requesting UE 106 has been authorizedand may be allowed network access. The connection response 318 in thiscase may also indicate service parameters of the subscriber associatedwith the UE 106, such as quality-of-service (QoS) and other parametersrelating to types and qualities of services to which the subscriber hassubscribed.

An action 320, performed by the visited PLMN 104, comprises receivingthe connection response 318. An action 322 comprises determining whetherthe connection response 318 indicates that the UE 106 has beenauthorized for network access. If so, an action 324 is performed ofallowing network access by the UE 106. This might involve furthercommunications and setup procedures in accordance with applicablenetwork protocols. If the connection response 318 indicates that the UE106 has not been authorized for network access, the action 306 isperformed of refusing network access to the UE 106.

FIG. 4 illustrates further details regarding communications between thecomponents shown in FIG. 1, in an embodiment in which the PCRF 116 ofthe home PLMN 102 performs home EIR checking. In FIG. 4, as well as inFIG. 6 which is discussed below, communicating components or entitiesare listed along the top, with a corresponding dashed vertical lineextending downward. Communications are indicated by arrows that extendhorizontally from and to the vertical lines corresponding to theentities from that originate and receive the communications.Communications occur in order from top to bottom. An individualcommunication or set of communications is indicated by a correspondingreference numeral along the left side of the figure, horizontallyaligned with the arrow or arrows representing the communication.

Note that FIGS. 4 and 6 illustrate the most relevant communications andmay omit other communications that occur in practice but are lessrelevant to the topics at hand. Such other communications may includecommunications that both precede and follow the illustratedcommunications, communications that occur in time between theillustrated communications, and communications that occur betweencomponents or entities that are not specifically shown. Additionaldetails regarding various aspects of processing initial attach requestsin this environment are defined by TS 29.272 of the 3^(rd) GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP).

At 402, the UE 106 sends an attach request, which is received by the MME108 of the visited PLMN 104. The attach request includes, among otherinformation, the IMEI of the UE 106 and the IMSI of the subscriberassociated with the UE 106.

In response to receiving the attach request, at 404 the MME 108 sends acreate session request that is received by the SGW 112 of the visitedPLMN 104. An example format for a create session request is specified by3GPP TS 29.274. The create session request includes, among otherinformation, the IMEI of the UE 106 and the IMSI of the devicesubscriber.

At 406, the SGW 112 forwards the create session request to the PDN GW114 of the home PLMN 102, again including the IMEI of the UE 106 and theIMSI of the device subscriber.

At 408, the PDN GW 114 sends an authorization request to the PCRF 116 ofthe home PLMN 102, again including the IMEI of the UE 106 and the IMSIof the device subscriber. In certain embodiments, the authorizationrequest may comprise a Credit Control Request (CCR) Initializationmessage as specified by 3GPP TS 29.212.

In response to receiving the authorization request, at 410 the PCRFqueries the home EIR 118 to determine whether the EMEI of the UE 106 isindicated as blocked. This query can be performed over a 3GGP S13hinterface as defined by 3GGP TS 29.272, where the query is referred toas an identity check request. At 412, the EIR 118 provides an identitycheck answer, again over the 3GGP S13h interface. At 414, the PCRFprovides an authorization response to the PDN GW 114. The authorizationresponse indicates whether or not the UE 106 is authorized for networkaccess.

The authorization response is based partly on the result of the identitycheck request with the EIR 118. If the identity check request indicatesthat the IMEI of the UE 106 is blocked, the authorization responseindicates an experimental result code “IMEI blocked,” indicating thatnetwork access should not be allowed to the UE 106. If the identitycheck request does not indicate that the IMEI is blocked, the PCRFperforms other inquiries based on the IMSI of the device subscriber todetermine which services should be provided to the UE 106, as well asvarious parameters regarding the quality levels of those services, suchas quality-of-service (QoS) parameters. This information is returned aspart of the authorization response in cases where the IMEI is notblocked.

At 416, the PDN GW 114 sends a create session response to the SGW 112 ofthe visited PLNM 104. The create session response reflects the contentof the authorization response from the PCRF, and may at times indicatethat network access should be denied based on the IMEI of the UE 106being blocked. In cases where the IMEI is not blocked, the createsession response indicates the levels of services to which the UE 106 isentitled.

At 418, the SGW 112 forwards the create session response to the MME 108of the visited network. The MME 108 then proceeds with processing theattach request, depending on the information specified by the createsession response.

FIG. 5 shows an example method 500, corresponding to the call flow ofFIG. 4, showing actions that may be performed within the home PLMN 102in an embodiment in which the PCRF 116 of the home PLMN 102 provides EIRchecking for roaming subscribers. In this embodiment, the actions on theleft side of FIG. 5 are performed by the PDN GW 114 of the home PLNM.The actions on the right side of FIG. 5 are performed by the PCRF 116 ofthe home PLMN.

An action 502, performed by the PDN GW 114, comprises receiving a createsession request. In the described embodiments, the create sessionrequest may be initiated by the MME 108 of the visited network andforwarded through the SGW 112 of the home network to the PDN GW 114. Thecreate session request specifies an IMSI and an IMEI.

An action 504 comprises, in response to receiving the request,requesting authorization from the PCRF 116 of the home PLMN 102 based atleast in part on the subscriber identifier and the IMSI. In certainembodiments, this may comprise sending an authorization request 506 fromthe PDN GW 114 to the PCRF 116 of the home PLMN 102. The authorizationrequest 506 specifies the subscriber identifier and the deviceidentifier.

An action 508, performed by the PCRF 116, comprises receiving theauthorization request 506.

An action 510, performed by the PCRF 116 of the home PLMN 102, comprisesdetermining whether the IMEI is specified as blocked within the EIR 118of the home PLMN 102. The action 510 may comprise querying the EIR 118based at least in part on the IMEI. In certain embodiments, the queryingmay be performed using the S13h′ mobile equipment identity checkprocedure specified by 3GGP TS 29.272.

If the device identifier is not indicated as being blocked in the homeEIR 118, an action 512 is performed of determining one or moresubscription parameters of the subscriber based at least in part on thesubscriber identifier.

An action 514 is then performed of sending an authorization response 516to the PDN GW 114. If in the action 510 it has been determined that thedevice identifier is not specified as blocked within the home EIR 118,the action 514 comprises returning the one or more subscriptionparameters in the authorization response 516. However, if in the action510 it has been determined that the device identifier is specified asblocked within the home EIR 118, the action 514 comprises indicating inthe authorization response that network access by the UE 106 is notauthorized. In certain embodiment, this may comprise indicating “IMEIBlocked” as an experimental result code in the authorization response.

An action 518, performed by the PDN GW 114, comprises receiving theauthorization response 516. An action 520 comprises determining whetherthe authorization response 516 indicates that the requesting UE 106 isauthorized for network access. An action 522 comprises sending orreturning a create session response from the PDN GW 114 to the visitedPLMN 104. If the authorization response 516 indicates that networkaccess should be denied, the create session response indicates thatnetwork access by the communication device is not authorized. Otherwise,if the authorization response 516 indicates that network access shouldbe allowed, the create session response indicates that network access isauthorized.

FIG. 6 illustrates further detail regarding communications between thecomponents shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in an embodiment in which the HSS 120of the home PLMN 102 performs home EIR checking.

At 602, the UE 106 sends an attach request, which is received by the MME108 of the visited PLMN 104. The attach request includes, among otherinformation, the IMEI of the UE 106 and the IMSI of the subscriberassociated with the UE 106.

In response to receiving the attach request, at 604 the MME 108 sends anauthentication request that is received by the HSS 120 of the home PLMN102. In certain embodiments, the authentication request may comprise anAuthentication Information Request (AIR) as used in the S6acommunications interface of the Diameter messaging protocol. Theauthentication request includes, among other information, the IMEI ofthe UE 106 and the IMSI of the device subscriber.

In response to receiving the authentication request, at 606 the HSS 120queries the home EIR 118 to determine whether the EMEI of the UE 106 isindicated as blocked. This query can be performed using the S13h mobileequipment identity check procedure specified by 3GGP TS 29.272. At 608,the EIR 118 provides an identity check answer, again over the 3GGP S13hinterface. At 610, the HSS 120 provides an authentication response tothe MME 108. The authentication response indicates whether or not the UE106 is authorized for network access. In certain embodiments, theauthentication response may comprise an Authentication InformationAnswer (AIA) as used in the S6a communications interface of the Diametermessaging protocol.

The authentication response is based partly on the result of theidentity check request with the EIR 118. If the identity check requestindicates that the IMEI of the UE 106 is blocked, the authenticationresponse indicates that network access should not be allowed to the UE106. If the identity check request does not indicate that the IMEI isblocked, the HSS 120 performs other inquiries based on the IMSI of thedevice subscriber to determine which services should be provided to theUE 106, as well as various parameters regarding the quality levels ofthose services, such as quality-of-service (QoS) parameters. Thisinformation is returned as part of the authentication response in casesthere the IMEI is not blocked.

FIG. 7 shows an example method 700, corresponding to the call flow ofFIG. 6, showing actions that may be performed within the home PLMN 102in an embodiment in which the HSS 120 of the home PLMN 102 provides EIRchecking for roaming subscribers.

An action 702, performed by the PDN GW 114, comprises receiving anauthentication request, which as mentioned above may comprise an S6aAIR. In the described embodiments, the create session request may beinitiated by the MME 108 of the visited network and forwarded to the HSS120. The authentication request specifies a subscriber identifier and adevice identifier.

An action 704 comprises, in response to receiving the authenticationrequest, determining whether the device identifier is specified asblocked within the EIR 118 of the home PLMN 102. The action 704 maycomprise querying the EIR 118 based at least in part on the deviceidentifier. In certain embodiments, the querying may be performed usingthe S13h mobile equipment identity check procedure specified by 3GGP TS29.272.

If the device identifier is not indicated as being blocked in the homeEIR 118, an action 706 is performed of determining one or moresubscription parameters of the subscriber based at least in part on thesubscriber identifier.

An action 708 is then performed of sending an authentication response tothe PDN GW 114. As mentioned above, the authentication may comprise anS6a AIA. If in the action 704 it has been determined that the deviceidentifier is not specified as blocked within the home EIR 118, theaction 708 includes returning the one or more subscription parameters inthe authentication response. However, if in the action 704 it has beendetermined that the device identifier is specified as blocked within thehome EIR 118, the action 708 comprises indicating in the authorizationresponse that network access by the UE 106 is not authorized.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an illustrative computing device 800 suchas may be used to implement various components discussed above, such aselements of the home PLMN 102 and the visited PLMN 104. For example, oneor more computing devices 800 may be configured or programmed toimplement all or part of any one of the MME 108, the EIR 110, the SGW112, the PDN GW 114, the PCRF 116, the EIR 118, and/or the HSS 120, aswell as other components of the PLMNs that are not specifically shown ordiscussed.

In various embodiments, the computing device 800 may include at leastone processing unit 802 and system memory 804. Depending on the exactconfiguration and type of computing device, the system memory 804 may bevolatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.)or some combination of the two. The system memory 804 may include anoperating system 806, one or more program modules 808, and may includeprogram data 810.

The computing device 800 may also include additional data storagedevices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magneticdisks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated inFIG. 8 by storage 812.

Non-transitory computer storage media of the computing device 800 mayinclude volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage of information, suchas computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data. The system memory 804 and storage 812 are all examples ofcomputer-readable storage media. Non-transitory computer-readablestorage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD)or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store the desired information and which can beaccessed by computing device 800. Any such non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media may be part of the computing device 800.

In various embodiment, any or all of the system memory 804 and storage812 may store programming instructions which, when executed, implementsome or all of the function functionality described above as beingimplemented by components of the visited PLMN 102 or the home PLMN 102.

The computing device 800 may also have input device(s) 814 such as akeyboard, a mouse, a touch-sensitive display, voice input device, etc.Output device(s) 816 such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. mayalso be included. The computing device 800 may also containcommunication connections 818 that allow the device to communicate withother computing devices.

Although features and/or methodological acts are described above, it isto be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited tothose features or acts. Rather, the features and acts described aboveare disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless telecommunication system comprising:one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed bythe one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to performactions comprising: receiving, by a home wireless telecommunicationnetwork from a visited wireless telecommunication network, a request togrant a communication device access to the visited wirelesstelecommunication network, the request specifying a device identifier ofthe communication device; determining whether the device identifier isspecified as blocked within a database of device identifiers maintainedby the home wireless telecommunication network; and in response todetermining that the device identifier is specified as blocked withinthe database of device identifiers, sending, to the visited wirelesstelecommunication network, a response to the request, the responsedenying the request to grant the communication device access to thevisited wireless telecommunication network.
 2. The wirelesstelecommunication system of claim 1, wherein: the request comprises acreate session request received by a packet data network gateway (PDNGW) of the home wireless telecommunication network; and the createsession request specifies the device identifier.
 3. The wirelesstelecommunication system of claim 2, wherein: the actions furthercomprise, in response to receiving the request, requesting authorizationfrom a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) of the home wirelesstelecommunication network; and the determining comprises querying, bythe PCRF, an Equipment Identity Register (EIR) of the home wirelesstelecommunication network based at least in part on the deviceidentifier.
 4. The wireless telecommunication system of claim 3, whereinthe querying is performed using an S13h′ mobile equipment identity checkprocedure.
 5. The wireless telecommunication system of claim 1, whereinthe request to grant the communication device access to the visitedwireless telecommunication network is received by a Home SubscriberServer (HSS) of the home wireless telecommunication network.
 6. Thewireless telecommunication system of claim 5, wherein the determiningcomprises querying, by the HSS, an Equipment Identity Register (EIR) ofthe home wireless telecommunication network based at least in part onthe device identifier.
 7. The wireless telecommunication system of claim6, wherein the querying is performed using an S13h mobile equipmentidentity check procedure.
 8. The wireless telecommunication system ofclaim 1, wherein the device identifier comprises an International MobileEquipment Identity (IMEI).
 9. The wireless telecommunication system ofclaim 1, wherein each of the home and visited wireless telecommunicationnetworks is a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication network.10. The wireless telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein at leastone of the home and visited wireless telecommunication networkscomprises a packet-based network.
 11. A method performed by a firstwireless telecommunication network to authorize use of a communicationdevice on a second wireless telecommunication network, wherein thecommunication device is associated with a subscriber of the firstwireless telecommunication network, the method comprising: receiving, bya Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (GW) of the first wirelesstelecommunication network, from the second wireless telecommunicationnetwork, a create session request that specifies a device identifier ofthe communication device; sending the device identifier from the PDN GWto a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) of the first wirelesstelecommunication network; determining, by the PCRF, whether the deviceidentifier is specified as blocked within an Equipment Identity Register(EIR) of the first wireless telecommunication network; in response todetermining whether the device identifier is specified as blocked withinthe EIR, informing the PDN GW, by the PCRF, that network access by thecommunication device is not authorized if the device identifier isspecified as blocked within the EIR or that network access by thecommunication device is authorized if the device identifier is notspecified as blocked within the EIR; and returning a create sessionresponse from the PDN GW to the second wireless telecommunicationnetwork indicating whether network access by the communication device isauthorized or is not authorized.
 12. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: receiving a subscriber identifier by the PDN GW as part ofthe create session request; sending the subscriber identifier from thePDN GW to the PCRF; in response to determining that the deviceidentifier is not specified as blocked within the EIR of the firstwireless telecommunication network, determining, by the PCRF, one ormore subscription parameters of the subscriber based at least in part onthe subscriber identifier; and informing the PDN GW, by the PCRF, of theone or more subscription parameters, wherein the PDN GW includes the oneor more subscription parameters in the create session response.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises communicating withthe EIR using an S13h′ mobile equipment identity check procedure. 14.The method of claim 11, wherein the device identifier comprises anInternational Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI).
 15. The method of claim11, wherein each of the first and second wireless telecommunicationnetworks is a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication network.16. A method performed by a first wireless telecommunication network toauthorize use of a communication device on a second wirelesstelecommunication network, wherein the communication device isassociated with a subscriber of the first wireless telecommunicationnetwork, the method comprising: receiving, by a Home Subscriber Service(HSS) of the first wireless telecommunication network, from the secondwireless telecommunication network, an authentication request thatspecifies a device identifier; determining, by the HSS, whether thedevice identifier is specified as blocked within an Equipment IdentityRegister (EIR) of the first wireless telecommunication network; and inresponse to determining whether the device identifier is specified asblocked within the EIR of the first wireless telecommunication network,returning an authentication response from the HSS to the second wirelesstelecommunication network indicating that network access by thecommunication device is not authorized if the device identifier isspecified as blocked within the EIR or that network access by thecommunication device is authorized if the device identifier is notspecified as blocked within the EIR.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising: receiving a subscriber identifier by the HSS from the secondwireless telecommunication network as part of the authenticationrequest; and in response to determining that the device identifier isnot specified as blocked within the EIR of the first wirelesstelecommunication network, determining one or more subscriptionparameters of a subscriber based at least in part on the subscriberidentifier and returning the one or more subscription parameters in theauthentication response.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein thedetermining comprises communicating with the EIR using an S13h mobileequipment identity check procedure.
 19. The method of claim 16, whereinthe device identifier comprises an International Mobile EquipmentIdentity (IMEI).
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the firstand second wireless telecommunication networks is a Long-Term Evolution(LTE) wireless communication network.